Bare Minimums
by MinaTakahashii
Summary: Sometimes it was nice to sit here with you, and not have to worry about the rest of the world... Cleon


Disclaimer: I *yawn* own nothing... I think... I may be more positive in the morning P:

A/N: I GIVE IN! It took me several months of reading Cleon fics, but I finally gave into the temptation of writing it myself. I'll have to write Cloud and Leon a better fic that isn't written at three in the morning sometime though... xD And I am no longer unbeta'd P: I drove Georgie insane with my typos, so she ended up PR-ing it for me :D Don't you love how things work out? But that's about it, so please comment, fav, and all that good stuff ;D

Layout Notes: Uh... Can you say AbStRaCt? I soooooooooo didn't mean for it to come out like this, but I also had no idea in mind when I started writing xD I know there are some grammatical mistakes with the dialogue, but that's because that's how I wanted it. I wanted it to be somewhat vague about who was speaking, and [for it being three and only taking about twenty minutes to write this P:] I'm pretty proud of it...

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_Cloud's POV:_

I remember when you said that you loved me, and I couldn't bring myself to believe you. It just seemed too... nice... I was afraid to hope that it was true. I knew that I loved you too, but I still couldn't say anything because my brain was in constant disarray. You seemed to do that a lot though - screwing with my brain and all. Strangely enough, it was almost as if I had gotten used to it. I liked the constant jumbling of my thoughts, and they were never any more jumbled than when you uttered three simple words.

It had taken me a while, but eventually I said it back. You were patient; understanding. You knew I would need time to sort some things out. And after I did, everything has been so much... _easier_. I've started to understand that when you love someone, you don't constantly have to be proving it. There are little reminders everywhere we go, even when they're unintentional.

"Cloud?"

I blinked once, having been dragged out of my thoughts. I hummed in response, not seeing the need to think of words to express myself.

"What are you thinking?"

Looking up, I saw the glints of steel that rested in your eyes flash, but only out of curiosity. You always have wondered what I was thinking, and said that it was immensely difficult to figure it out sometimes. It used to be that I felt safer that way. It was safe to have your thoughts shielded so that people couldn't use them against you. But you've taught me different. You've shown me that letting those you love - those you trust - understand your thoughts, isn't a bad thing. It usually leads to pleasant things that I would never even dream of giving up.

"Us."

A one word response was enough. It always had been. You were able to understand me, even if you have to ask sometimes. You knew I would always tell you when I asked, and sometimes it would be through words, but more often than not, it was through touch. Everything that needed to be said could be expressed through body language.

A small ghost of a smile was my answer this time. See? I told you that body language was always enough.

"I love you, Leon," I said, letting you know the details of what had been crossing my thoughts. You were good at putting together the pieces of what I gave you. Like how you were good at putting together the pieces that were left over of what I used to be. You had reassembled me, and I almost felt whole again. Like I had before all I had loved had been stripped away; before my world was destroyed; before I had even met _you_. But there were still a few pieces missing that I knew I wouldn't be able to get back, but you could replace those with some of the pieces you created in my heart. They were the pieces that held you as I saw you. A person that meant more to me than anything else in this world, or any others for that matter.

"I love you too."

The words sounded so casual now, not like the embarrassed mutters they used to be. Like we were both worried about the other changing their mind. But three years was enough to get all the kinks worked out and prove that there was something stronger in our relationship than lust and initial attraction. It made me feel... warm? Oh, the cliché of it all. But what else was there to explain? A millions words probably. At least a million. Together we could come up with even more, and wasn't that what it was all about?

Silence fell across the room, mirroring the dark sky outside. Neither one of us were uncomfortable, more at ease knowing that words weren't needed. The silence wasn't empty, it was full of our thoughts - as crazy as it sounds. I always wondered if you were able to hear what I was thinking. The thoughts rang so loudly in my head that I wouldn't be surprised.

I snuggled closer to you, making sure that the warmth between us was enough to rival that of the overly used air conditioning. Even in summer, there were freezing cold days, just as how in winter there were always blistering hot days. Perfect epitome of relationships. Ups and downs, milestones, issues. They happened, but they never really meant anything.

"Ready to go back?"

You knew that my eyes were slowly drifting closed and sleep was scratching at the door, but I really didn't want to go. I wanted to stay here with you in front of television that was playing meaningless videos that would never get anywhere. I don't even think we were watching it. It was just there to be a small hum in the background, just so that we wouldn't get too absorbed in our own thoughts that we became distant.

"No. Stay here."

I stated it as a demand, but you would be able to hear the hint of a question in my voice. The way my voice went up just slightly would be all too obvious to you. But you would pretend you didn't hear it and simply obey, just like you usually did.

"Of course."

And that was that. I fell asleep in your arms, as hopelessly romantic as it sounds. You must not have been too long after, because the TV that was always cautiously turned off in the morning was still playing those pointless videos when I woke up.

It was sometimes nice to let go...


End file.
